Within
a days of the Senateís acquittal of Bill Clinton, ABC and CBS identified
the Republicans as the party hurt the most. Why? They pinpointed
conservative intolerance as the cause, with CBS insisting the party must
"move toward the middle, away from the far-right social conservatives"
who pushed impeachment.

"Only 30 percent of those asked
said the Republicans could do a better job than Bill Clinton in dealing
with the nationís problems," ABCís Tim OíBrien announced on World
News Tonight the day after the February 12 vote. OíBrien then
highlighted how "party moderates at a meeting of the Republican
Leadership Council in Miami today acknowledged they have been hurt by
the impeachment process." Without any counterpoint from a conservative,
OíBrien played this soundbite from New Jersey Governor Christie Todd
Whitman: "Many Americans right now have an impression of a Republican
Party thatís mean-spirited, vindictive, was not attending to the
publicís business."

On Presidentís Day, February
15, CBS reporter Sharyl Attkisson managed to air five ideological labels
in her Evening News piece which lasted just 95 seconds.
"Republicans are desperately regrouping after a difficult year pursuing
the Presidentís impeachment. Many worry theyíre now at serious risk of
losing their congressional majority," Attkisson maintained.

She illustrated the danger by
offering this unanswered assessment: "Political analyst James Thurber
says the party must move toward the middle, away from the far-right
social conservatives who pushed hardest for the Presidentís ouster. But
that wonít be easily done." Thurber asserted: "Itís tough for
Republicans to moderate, though, when they have a well-organized right
wing in their party, pulling the party further to the right where the
voters donít exist."

Attkisson insisted that
"moderates like Senator John McCain...are well aware of their partyís
challenge" and allowed that Republican leaders for now plan to "hammer
home traditional conservative goals like tax cuts and the return of
power to local governments." But, she ominously warned in conclusion,
social conservatives, somehow counted as a "minority" within the GOP,
will still insist on getting their way: "The partyís right wing will
continue to apply pressure on social issues like abortion. They may be
in the minority, but theyíre powerful fundraisers and that gives them
the influence to shape policy and dominate the Republican agenda."